February Stories I Ate This Month

School has been very intense this month and I haven't been able to consume too many stories but the ones that I have had time for have been really good!

Movies

• Black Panther
• Such an amazing superhero movie! Actually, just an amazing movie in general! Prior to seeing it, I didn't know much about it and I am glad that I went into seeing it that way. It made it all the more incredible. Also, as I'm sure you have seen all over social media, it has been great for the African American community, especially the children to see people who look like them on the big screen, celebrating African cultures, etc. 
• A+

TV Shows

• Smallville (season 1)
• I have been obsessed with superhero related things the past few months, as you can see by my last Stories I Ate This Month. Therefore, I decided to watch this old tv show from the early 2000s which is on Hulu. I'm loving this version of Clark Kent/Superman/Man of Steel.
• A+

Audiobooks

• Promise Me, Dad - Joe Biden
• I cried,  a lot. There will be a review going up on April 2nd. It has been scheduled already. Also, #Biden2020. 
• A+
• Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - Susannah Cahalan
• This chronicles Cahalan's life as she goes mad, gets the proper diagnosis of a rare auto-immune disorder, and recovers. Very interesting. 
• A+

Books

• I Am Not Your Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez
• It was slow going in the start but the whole story was really interesting to follow and I really felt for Julia. 
• B-

TV Review: Good Girls Revolt (Amazon Original)

For those of you who do not know, I identify as a Feminist. If you want me to explain my views on Feminism just comment below and I will write a post about it if there is any interest in that. However, my feminism is what interested me in this Amazon original show set in the 1970s surrounding a group of girls who work for a newspaper as researchers but aspire to be journalists and all of their other life problems.

I love that the story mainly followed Patti's story but that it included large segments of the other girls' stories as well since they all have a common problem with society. At this point in time, many newspapers were not allowing women to be reporters.Patti was fed up with that. All she wanted to do was write. She was a researcher for her boyfriend. That meant that she did all of the grunt work for him; got phone numbers, set up interviews, obtained the paperwork he needed, and did all of his other errands. That also meant that she would proof his work and help him figure out what angles and stories to write. However, she would never get to write an article or get a byline. Therefore, she and some of the other girls in the pit decide to file a lawsuit with the NAACP against the paper.

The show follows the girls as they work with their lawyer to get enough complaints, the evidence that they are being unjustly treated compared to their male counterparts, etc. The show also follows Patti as she deals with her daily struggles with the men in her life as well as family. The show also follows the relationships among the other girls as well and even some of the more prominent men in the story.

The show was so good and I really wish that there was going to be a second season. Amazon, please bring it back!

Rate: 5/5

One Of Us Is Lying ~ Karen M. McManus

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app. 
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose? 
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them."

Book Review:

This is a twisted version of what I understand The Breakfast Club to be. All these students from very different stages of the high school popularity hierarchy become suspects in the murder of Simon who ran this awful gossip website, where he would posst awful stories about his classmates. It is later determined that he was about to post about all of the people who were in detention with him. They all have various things to hide that could potential ruin their lives and had Simon disclosed them, it would have ruined their lives. In the long run though, those secrets still ruined so much for them. I can not say much without giving so much away so this will be a short review. However, I could have never predicted the result of the case. Read this! 

Pages: 361                                                                                                                                               Rate:5/5

Favorite Quote:

“I don't know why it's so hard for people to admit that sometimes they're just assholes who screw up because they don't expect to get caught.” 

Far From The Tree ~ Robin Benway

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

Book Review:

I read this book in two days because I was so invested in the story. I wanted to know when Grace would heal, emotionally and be able to forgive herself for giving Peach up for adoption. I wanted to know if she would meet her biological mother and how that would help her move forward and possibly have a relationship with Peach. I wanted Maya to find her place. She seemed to lost. I wanted Joaquin to finally be adopted, to finally be able to open up and be comfortable and know that having others love him would not hurt him or them every time. The first night that I was reading the book, I was only about 100 pages in and forced myself to put the book down because it was already 11pm and I had over 300 pages to go. The next night, I turned the TV off, said goodnight to my dad, and read for a solid three hours in order to finish. I was so happy. 

The book made me feel for every person who has been adopted and wanted to find their biological family but never could. I became even more interested in helping those who get lost in the foster care system. I loved this story. The character that I resonated with the most was Grace. I never experienced teen pregnancy. I've been raised by my biological parents and have a slew of siblings, unlike Grace. However, Grace and I both deal with things in similar manners. I could tell based on how she gave up Peach, how she immediately slid into the big sister role for Maya, how she reacted to meeting her older brother, and how persistent she was in finding her biological mother. I felt like I would have reacted and made the same decisions that she did. Maya was more rebellious and Joaquin was too scared of caring too much. 

I loved the dynamic that was built between Grace, Joaquin, and Maya. I loved how their families didn't let their children's needs to connect with one another make them feel like they were less than, instead the families just grew. 

I was also very glad that Benway depicted the difficulties of alcoholism and the foster care system. Maya and her sister are hiding their mothers empty wine bottles, dumping out the rest of the alcohol, and going about their lives while she remains passed out in her room. Benway also depicts the troubles that many children have when their alcoholic parent goes to rehab. That person is no longer in their face 24/7, they no longer have to hide their alcohol, etc. That time give the child time to feel anger, resentment, and eventual forgiveness, hopefully. Maya felt all of that and it was an interesting dynamic to read. Also, Benway depicts the struggles that so many people face while they are being bounced around in the foster care system. Joaquin was in 18 homes in 17 years. He was bounced from family to family. He experienced failed adoptions, abuse at the hands of foster parents, etc. What Joaquin went through strongly resembles what others experience and how the foster care system really needs to be changed. 

Pages: 389                                                                                                                                  Rate: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

“The older she got, the more human her parents seemed, and that was one of the scariest things in the world. She missed being little, when they were the all-knowing gods of her world, but at the same time, seeing them as human made it easier to see herself that way, too.” 

The Sign of The Four ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of the Four (1890), also called The Sign of Four, is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 stories starring the fictional detective. The story is set in 1888. The Sign of the Four has a complex plot involving service in East India Company, India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards. It presents the detective's drug habit and humanizes him in a way that had not been done in the preceding novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887). It also introduces Doctor Watson's future wife, Mary Morstan.

Book Review:

Like I said in my review of A Study in Scarlet, I really enjoy the premise of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I am fascinated by the characters and have wanted to read the original stories for a while now. I'm glad that I read the first and I feel that this followed A Study in Scarlet nicely. 

There was a lot more character development than in the first story or so I felt. I do believe that it depicted Holmes's drug addiction in a unique way that I felt really symbolized the character well. Sherlock does not see himself as being addicted, like we see others as addicted. He sees it as a mechanism to keep his mind engaged when there is no mystery for him to follow or case for him to solve. He seems to stop using, from what I understand, when he is working a case because every part of his mind is being used for deduction and observation in order to solve the case. However, when he is using, he takes on the typical side effects of an addict. He doesn't have a different type of self control or anything like that. Its interesting to see how his mind works and how he justifies his actions. It's also interesting to see the worry from his companion, Doctor Watson. Watson worries about what the drugs do to Holmes and he worries about what could happen to Holmes while using. I feel that Watson has the same type of feelings that other people who care about addicts experience. 

Beyond Holmes's drug use, we have the case itself. The case is nothing spectacular. It has the same tone and feel to the case in A Study in Scarlet. However, I do believe that that tone is what makes the Sherlock Holmes stories so special. It was interesting and I certianly did not predict the result. I did predict many results while reading but none of them ended up being correct. I think that that is what makes reading the stories so fun. I can not wait to continue with the other stories. 

January's Stories I Ate This Month

I got this idea from one of the many BookTubers that I watch on YouTube all of the time, Christine Riccio. Her channel name is polandbananasBOOKS. I will link her most recent "Stories I Ate This Month." The reason that I prefer this over a monthly reading wrap up is that it includes all of the stories, no matter the format that they are in, that I have consumed over the month. So here are my stories. Also, any reviews that I have posted so far, I will link. 

Movies

• The Greatest Showman 
• Such a good movie!! I have not stopped listening to the music since seeing it. 
• A+
• Pitch Perfect 2
• I decided to watch this after seeing the third one because I realized that I hadn't watched it. It was pretty good. I think that the first one will forever be my favorite though. 
• B+
• Pitch Perfect 3
• Went and saw this on New Years with my best friend. It was good. I've been listening to some of the songs still actually. I just loved that it was surrounding a USO tour. 
• A-

TV Shows

• Marvel's Runaways - a Hulu original
• SOOOOOOOO GOOOD!!!!!! I am so obsessed with this show. It made me read the comics as you will see further down in this wrap-up. It was so damn good!!! I can not wait for season 2. 
• A+
• Good Girls Revolt - an Amazon original
• I'm really sad that there isn't going to be a season 2 of this. It was really good and I wish that we could see what would happen now that the girls' lawsuit went public!!
• A+
• Shooter (season 1)
• It was a good, suspenseful show. Exactly what I wanted. When season 2 comes on Netflix, I definitely will be watching it. 
• A
• She's Gotta Have It - a Netflix original
• This was such a good show. I binged it in two nights! It does a great job of going against the stigma of casual sex for women, deals with PTSD like symptoms after a sexual assault, artistry, etc. I loved the cinematography. 
• A+

Audiobooks

• Our Revolution - Bernie Sanders; narrated by Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo
• Such an inspiring read. It made me understand why Sanders believes what he does and I think that is important when you are supporting someone or not for that matter. 
• A+
• The Last Black Unicorn - Tiffany Haddish; narrated by the author
• Hilarious!! I was laughing the entire time I read this. It also made me feel other things for her as well. I'll elaborate in my review. 
• A+

Books

• The Sign of The Four - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Exactly what I expect from a Sherlock Holmes story.
• A-
• Far From The Tree - Robin Benway
• I cried, a lot! I've never watched This Is Us but this has been compared to it often in reviews and if they are similar then I can guarantee that I will be watching This Is Us as soon as I get a chance. 
• A+
• The Nowhere Girls - Amy Reed
• At first, I wasn't sure that I was going to really get into this. It seemed like it was going to be very similar to Moxie by Jennifer Mattieu, which I loved, but I just knew that I wasn't going to want to read the same story again. Thankfully this is very different even though it has many similarities. So good!
• A

Comic Books/Graphic Novels

• Runaways Vol 1: Pride and Joy - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways Vol 2: Teenage Wasteland - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways: Vol 3 The Good Die Young - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways Vol 4: True Believers - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways Vol 5: Escape to New York - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways Vol 6: Parental Guidance - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways Vol 7: Live Fast - Brian Vaughan
• Runaways Vol 8: Dead End Kids: Dead End Kids Premiere - Joss Whedon
• Runaways Vol 9: Dead Wrong -Terry Moore
• Runaways Vol 10: Rock Zombies -Terry Moore
• Runaways Vol 11: Homeschooling - Kathryn Immomen
• Runaways #1 - Rainbow Rowell
• Runaways #2 - Rainbow Rowell
• Runaways #3 - Rainbow Rowell
• Runaways #4 - Rainbow Rowell
  
  *I did a collective review for all of those!
• 
  *The rest of the books that I read or listened that I have not provided links for will have reviews going up throughout the coming weeks.

TV Review: Marvel's Runaways (Hulu Original)

If you do not know, I have been very into watching superhero shows and so when I saw this on the Hulu homepage, I got really excited. The cast looked very interesting... I also might have a slight celebrity crush on Gregg Sulkin, maybe. To be honest, I have been crushing on him since his days on Wizards of Waverly Place.
 
I am obsessed with Marvel's Runaways, the Hulu original. I was hooked from episode one all of the way through. I watched the first two episodes before starting to read the comics, which I have completely read and have a review up for (check that out). It was kind of slow going for me once I finished the comics because I really wanted to see their dynamic once they had run away but it takes forever for them to runaway. I am really excited for season two though because we will finally see more of that dynamic develop.

I believe that the casting was spot on! I am obsessed with each of them and their characters. However, I do favor Gert the most. She is the most mysterious character. A lot of people would think that Nico would be the most mysterious due to her goth aesthetic, but for me it is Gert. Nico has a dark appearance because of the loss of her sister. We know that from the very beginning. Gert, on the other hand, has so many layers to her character and I am really excited to see some of those be pulled away and have her be slightly more vulnerable. I'm hoping that Chase can really help out with that. If you haven't realized, I am a Gertchase shipper!!! I won't say much because I do not want to spoil anything for those of you who have yet to watch, but I will say that if he doesn't fight for her now, I will be absolutely furious!

Rate: 5/5

Runaways Comic Book Collection Review

** I am reviewing the entire collection that I have read that is a part of this series. I read them on my Kindle. This collection includes: Runaways Vol 1: Pride and Joy, Runaways Vol 2: Teenage Wasteland, Runaways: Vol 3 Th Good Die Young, Runaways Vol 4: True Believers, Runaways Vol 5: Escape to New York, Runaways Vol 6: Parental Guidance, and Runaways Vol 7: Live Fast all by Brian Vaughan and various illustrators. Then I continued with Runaways Vol 8: Dead End Kids: Dead End Kids Premiere by Joss Whedon, Runaways Vol 9: Dead Wrong, Runaways Vol 10: Rock Zombies both by Terry Moore; then I finished this collection with Runaways Vol 11: Homeschooling by Kathryn Immomen. I then decided to move onto a series written much more recently including Runaways #1, #2, #3, and #4 by Rainbow Rowell. 

Review:

Every time I get in a bit of a reading slump, I try and pick up something that will be quick and fun to read. This time around, it was Marvel Comics, which I tend to enjoy anyways. I decided to delve into Runaways after watching the Hulu Original version of the story. (I will probably write a review when I finish this season of that.) I really enjoyed the entire story from Vol 1 to Vol 11. However, I haven't quite decided how I feel about the new issues yet, I will get to that later though. 

In the original issues that I read, I enjoyed how the dynamics between the characters changed and strengthened. I enjoyed watching as they figured out their spot on the team, developed their powers or tech, and how they separated themselves from their evil parents. I enjoyed the relationships between the group, I mean this in both the romantic side and friendship side. I also mean this a guardian/child relationship. Everyone in the group was a few years older than Molly Hayes, and they all looked after her and did what they thought was best for her but they also let her have an opinion. My favorite character was probably Gert Yorkes. She and her telepathic link with her dinosaur was great as well as how she spoke to everyone. I feel like she would be my best friend! I hate Alex though and I won't say why because you need to read it and figure that out on your own. 

Beyond the character development and relationships, I really enjoyed how the core group brought in and accepted other orphans/runaways as the series continued. I thought that the new characters brought and interesting dynamic to the storyline. I wasn't a big fan of the issue where they get themselves sent back in time and end up bringing Klara back with them though. I just didn't really see the point in Klara's character, other than being a peer to Molly. 

Now, let's talk Rainbow Rowell's issues. I love everything that I have read by her previously, which is why I decided to buy these comics even though this would be her debut into that style. Maybe, I should have read other issues before hers, but I couldn't find a Vol 12 or beyond so I figured Rowell's issues would pick up where the originals left off. They didn't. There is a whole score of issues that come up in the first few pages of Rowell's first issue that we never see happen in the original ones that I read. It just left me a bit confused and not fulfilled. They weren't terrible, the characters were still what I wanted (for the most part), and the storyline was interesting, I just feel like I missed a lot. 

Rate for original 11 Volumes: 4/5                                

Rate for Rowell's Issues: 2.5/5

Please let me know what comics to delve into next and if there are issues that I missed inbetween the original set and Rowell's.

Holding Smoke ~ Elle Cosimano

John "Smoke" Conlan is serving time for two murders but he wasn't the one who murdered his English teacher, and he never intended to kill the only other witness to the crime. A dangerous juvenile rehabilitation center in Denver, Colorado, known as the Y, is Smoke's new home and the only one he believes he deserves.

But, unlike his fellow inmates, Smoke is not in constant imprisonment. After a near death experience leaves him with the ability to shed his physical body at will, Smoke is able to travel freely outside the concrete walls of the Y, gathering information for himself and his fellow inmates while they're asleep in their beds. Convinced his future is only as bright as the fluorescent lights in his cell, Smoke doesn't care that the "threads" that bind his soul to his body are wearing thin-that one day he may not make it back in time. That is, until he meets Pink, a tough, resourceful girl who is sees him for who he truly is and wants to help him clear his name. 

Now Smoke is on a journey to redemption he never thought possible. With Pink's help, Smoke may be able to reveal the true killer, but the closer they get to the truth, the more deadly their search becomes. The web of lies, deceit, and corruption that put Smoke behind bars is more tangled than they could have ever imagined. With both of their lives on the line, Smoke will have to decide how much he's willing to risk, and if he can envision a future worth fighting for.

Book Review:

This is such a good YA thriller with a paranormal twist to it. It deals with juvenile incarceration which is what drew me to it in the first place, as I am a Criminal Justice minor. The character is so likeable. He uses his "powers" for others asking for little back. 

I really enjoyed the relationships that were formed in this novel, especially the friendship between Pink and Smoke. The character development within Smoke was incredible.  Every new chapter gave us a little more of him growing and prospering. 

I did find the result of his "investigation" as being shocking but not enjoyable. I was hoping for something more fascinating, more intricate, more detailed and elaborte. What I got was lacking. 

Pages: 336                                                                                                                                               Rate: 3/5

Favorite Quotes:

"All of us are broken, John. I just think that once you've lost everything, maybe there's nothing left to hold you back."

Moxie ~ Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes and hallway harassment. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

Viv’s mom was a punk rock Riot Grrrl in the ’90s, so now Viv takes a page from her mother’s past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She’s just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. Pretty soon Viv is forging friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, and she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

Book Review: 

I decided to read this book because it was part of the Zoella Book Club for the year. Although, it wasn't profound, it was good. It gave good insight to the minds of teenage girls who are experiecing the world of mysogony and who are coming into their own feminism. They are paving their own path for the fight. 

I thought Vivian's character development was vital to the story. Had she not moved forward personally, she never would have been able to inspire the Moxie movement or keep it going. She never would have been able to establish the comraderie  between her classmates, etc. It was great to read, I won't lie, but I did wish that Mathieu portrayed Vivian and the other characters in a more profound and intelligent manner. Like many other YA novels, she made them seem less than real teenagers are. 

Pages: 330                                                                                                                          Rate: 4/5

Favorite Quote:

“it occurs to me that this is what it means to be a feminist. Not a humanist or an equalist or whatever. But a feminist. It’s not a bad word. After today it might be my favorite word. Because really all it is is girls supporting each other and wanting to be treated like human beings in a world that’s always finding ways to tell them they’re not.”